This evolution from a crib full of blankets and pillows to a bare bones unobstructed sleeping space has come from research from the past 15 years, said Jessica Saunders, director of the center for child health and wellness at Dayton Children’s Hospital.
“We started to see so many babies were dying, and for a long time it was called SIDS and unexplained. As we looked closer at those death records, nationally, we’ve noticed that it’s not unexplained. A lot of these kids were suffocated by bumper pads, by blankets, by stuffed animals, by all those extra things that we think we need to give to babies because they are sweet and cuddly and soft, and at the end of the day, you don’t need them,” Saunders said.
Suffocation is the number one cause of accidental death of children under the age of one. Parents should remove the bumpers now, don’t wait for a law to go into effect, said Saunders.
Bumper pads have remained popular because there isn’t enough awareness of the risk, according to Donniece Koontz, infant toddler coach with 4C for Children in Dayton.
“They’ve been around for so long and that’s how it’s been, but we’ve figured out what’s best for children’s bedding — bumpers are not safe,” Koontz said.
It’s always better to be safe than sorry, according to mother of two, Jennifer Hunter, who was visiting the Greene Town Center with her family.
She said she knew of the potential risk of suffocation, so she kept her children’s beds clear of blankets, stuffed animals and bumpers.
“Parents these days, there are so many mistakes. It can happen in the blink of an eye and I completely agree with it (the ban),” Hunter said.
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